DENVER – The Niagara University volleyball team battled against two strong teams before falling to Denver and UC Davis to conclude play at the Pioneer Classic on Saturday. The Purple Eagles finished in second place after winning the tie breaker with Eastern Illinois and UC Davis.
SCORE: Niagara 1, Denver 3 (25-18, 25-12, 23-25, 25-18)
TOURNAMENT: Pioneer Classic
RECORDS: Niagara (1-4), Denver (5-0)
Match Summary
The first set was tied at 12-12 when the Pioneers outscored the Purple Eagles 13-6 to close out the set; Denver won the second set to go up 2-0.
Niagara showed grit in taking the third set that featured 13 ties and 7 lead changes. Neither team led by more by four points as momentum shifted with each point. Niagara scored the last two points on errors by Denver to win, 25-23. The Purple Eagles had 13 kills in the set, their most in the match, with
Jaycie Roberts and
Nicole Matheis each having four.
The fourth set was tight as well, with seven ties and three lead changes. DU used a set-changing 10-2 run to take a 23-15 lead.
Eagle's Eye On…
Coach's Corner
- "I was very pleased with our team's effort against a quality opponent like Denver, who has gone to the NCAA tournament three straight years. I felt like we made great adjustments. This match helped make us a better team and was a great in-game learning opportunity." – head coach Vilis Ozols
SCORE: Niagara 0, UC Davis 3 (25-20, 25-22, 25-10)
TOURNAMENT: Pioneer Classic
RECORDS: Niagara (1-5), UC Davis (4-2)
Match Summary
The Purple Eagles were edged in the first two sets before eventually running out of steam in the third set to fall in three sets.
In the first and second sets, the Purple Eagles kept responding after an Aggie push. In the first set, which had five ties and two lead changes, NU kept the pressure on UC Davis before falling 25-20. Niagara trailed 16-9 in the second set before reeling off five straight points to force a UC Davis timeout. The Aggies, then, built a 22-15 but the Purple Eagles stormed back into the set to trim the deficit to 22-20. A kill by
Meghan Higley cut the score to 24-22, but UC Davis clinched the set on the next serve. UC Davis started fast on its way to winning the third set.
Eagle's Eye On…
- Nicole Matheis led team in kills for the fourth straight match, finishing with eight. Jaycie Roberts was second on the team with six.
- Rylee Hunt had a match-leading 14 digs.
- Matheis and Hunt were both named to the all-tournament team.
Coach's Corner
- "It was a tough way for us to finish the tournament, even though we showed some really good improvements throughout the weekend." – head coach Vilis Ozols
Up Next
- The Purple Eagles will play in their final invitational next week at the Hartford Invitational. NU faces Hartford and Central Connecticut State on Friday and NJIT on Saturday.
Stay connected with the Purple Eagles through social media. Follow Niagara Athletics on Twitter
@NUPurpleEagles and for volleyball updates at
@NiagaraVB. Check in with the Purple Eagles on
Facebook/PurpleEagles and on Instagram
@NUPurpleEagles.
